


Enchanting Ghost

by ScooBiNatural



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Bittersweet, Episode: s05e22 Swan Song, Lucifer cares about Nick, Lucifer-centric, M/M, Nickifer, Sad, Season 11 Coda, Season 13 coda, Swan Song Coda, no happy ending, pro Lucifer, season 12 coda, written during s13
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-04
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-26 22:40:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13867506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScooBiNatural/pseuds/ScooBiNatural
Summary: "Don't go," Nick begged, and even in his own head, the words sounded quiet and pathetic. "I'll miss you."They were in Detroit, holed up in some tiny office building, waiting. Lucifer was waiting for Sam, for his perfect vessel. And Nick was burning, knowing his body wouldn't last much longer, but he clung to life, determined not to be the one to leave first.Lucifer didn't answer him right away, but Nick felt the sadness drawn around him like a thin blanket. "… I have to. You know why..." The sadness intensified, and for a moment Nick almost forgot that he was burning alive. "… I'm killing you."





	Enchanting Ghost

**Author's Note:**

  * For [foodog](https://archiveofourown.org/users/foodog/gifts).



> (Inspired by these Lyrics and some Nickifer art by @archingangel on tumblr)
> 
> Tell me what you saw in me   
> And I'll try to replicate it with a scene   
> Mm-mmm   
> If it troubles you to breathe   
> Wait a moment; I could change the scenery 
> 
> Don't carry on carrying efforts, oh no, oh oh oh oh   
> Somewhere there's a room for each of us to grow   
> And if it pleases you to leave me, just go, oh oh oh oh   
> Stopping you would stifle your enchanting ghost   
> Mm-mmm
> 
> \- Sufjan Stevens, Enchanting Ghost

_"Don't go,"_  Nick begged, and even in his own head, the words sounded quiet and pathetic.  _"I'll miss you."_

They were in Detroit, holed up in some tiny office building, waiting. Lucifer was waiting for Sam, for his  _perfect_  vessel. And Nick was  _burning_ , knowing his body wouldn't last much longer, but he clung to life, determined not to be the one to leave first.

Lucifer didn't answer him right away, but Nick felt the sadness drawn around him like a thin blanket. "… I have to. You know why..." The sadness intensified, and for a moment Nick almost forgot that he was burning alive. "… I'm killing you."

Logically, Nick knows that Lucifer is right, and it's suicidal for him to want Lucifer to stay forever, but he's not thinking rationally right now. He hasn't thought rationally in a long time. Nick supposes that finding out the Devil isn't nearly as bad as the stories would have you believe will do that to a person.  _"I don't care,"_  he thinks with all the force he can muster.  _"Sam will hurt you; I don't want to watch him hurt you. Stay with me,_ ** _please_** _."_

The Archangel went over to the window, leaning against the cold glass to try to counteract the way his skin burns from the strength of his grace fighting to stay contained in the too-thin vessel. "Oh, Nick..." He looks into the faint reflection on the ice-cold glass, and Nick closes his eyes on the other side. When his forehead touches the window, it's almost like he's leaning against the soul trapped with him in this body. "I can't... I need Sam, he's the only one that stands a chance. Michael won't go easy on me."

It broke Nick's heart a little to hear Lucifer say that, and a tear fell down the reflection's cheek.  _"I don't want to trust_ _him with you;_ _"_  Nick knows that sounds a bit possessive, but after sharing headspace with the devil for several months now, he thinks he's entitled to a little protectiveness towards the horribly misunderstood archangel.  _"He wants you to lose, he'll try to_ ** _make_** _you_ _lose. He doesn't know you like I do."_  The reflection lifts his hand to the glass, and Lucifer matches him, touching the ghostly image of his vessel's soul.  _"Is there nothing we can do? I'd drink an ocean of Demon blood if it meant I'd be strong enough for you. Is there a spell? There has to be_ ** _something_** _that I can_ _do,_ _I_ _feel so helpless..."_

The reflection is nice, but Lucifer thinks Nick needs him to be a bit more personal now; and Lucifer wants some privacy from his demons, so he too closes his eyes, retreating into his mind with the soul of his only true friend in this world, and creating a mental scene for them to properly interact with one another.

Nick wasn't expecting it, and he stumbles a bit as the glass he was leaning against disappears, only to be caught in Lucifer's arms. In their shared mind, Lucifer takes Nick's appearance, but if Nick looks harder, he can see a ghost of the eldritch creature he really is hidden just beneath the skin of the façade. Lucifer is elegant and terrifying at once, and Nick can't decide if the sight fascinates or horrifies him. He refuses to look away from it though, knowing how much the show of acceptance means to his friend.

"If we had the time," Lucifer starts in a soft voice, stroking the back of Nick's hair, "there might be a way. But time is running short, and I'm out of options. Even if Judgement Day wasn't so close, your body couldn't hold out long enough for me find magic that strong, now. Demon blood can only do so much; I'd need a natural witch, and—to my knowledge—they're a dying breed." He doubts that the few remaining would be both easy to find and willing to help him, anyways. "If I could heal the wound that's causing this, that might be enough, but... I'd have to find and break Michael's Lance." As he mentions it, he shares his knowledge of the thing with Nick, telling him what it does to angels, and how it wasn't enough to kill him, but the magic persists, making him burn for an eternity. "The Demon Crowley has it in his possession; and finding that rat has been nigh impossible. He'd rather die than tell me where he squirreled it away, anyways."

Lucifer continues to hold Nick close, letting the physically and emotionally exhausted human relax in his steady arms. "But just wait, have patience, Nick. Sam will say yes. He can try to overpower me, but he won't." Lucifer paused to press a reassuring kiss to Nick's temple before continuing to speak softly into his ear. "Sam underestimates me, don't you start too." He stays silent for another second, feeling the shame cross through Nick's mind and caressing it away with his forgiveness. "When I have him... I can heal you, and I'll beat Michael, and  _then_  we can find a way to make you strong enough. We'll remake the world together, you and me, just like I showed you. No one will ever have to hurt again. We'll do it over,  _better_  than God did."

Nick sighs, nodding against Lucifer's shoulder. He believes him, with every last fiber of his being. He's earned Lucifer's respect, so when Lucifer promises him something, he knows the Archangel intends to follow through on it. Lucifer never lies.

"I still don't want to let you go," He confesses quietly. "But I understand why you have to. I won't try to stop you. I just wish I could be enough."  _I'm never enough,_ he thinks miserably,  _not_ _enough to protect my family, and not enough to protect you._

Lucifer catches the thought and pulls away from Nick so that he can look him in the eye. "Nicholas Munroe, you  _listen_  to me, and listen to me well. If it was up to me, I'd never leave.  _You_  are not the issue here,  _I_  am. Now, Sam may be 'The One', the human my father created specifically for me, but  _you_  are the one I chose.  _You_ are the one who gave me a chance, who understands me like my true vessel will never try to. If it wouldn't kill you, I'd take you over him in a  _heartbeat_. Don't you  _ever_  think you're not enough for me." His words brought tears to Nick's eyes, and he brushed them away carefully with his thumb. "I knew you were special from the moment I saw you, but I never anticipated just how much you would mean to me. You are..." Lucifer stops mid-sentence, looking away from Nick, and cocking his head like he hears something. "… Sam is here."

Nick's gaze drops to the ground, expecting Lucifer to break this illusion and go, but the archangel surprises him with a hand lifting his chin to make him look at him again. And Lucifer surprises him again when he brings their lips together in a long, lingering but chaste kiss.

Nick melts into it, letting his eyes fall shut and letting the feeling of Lucifer's love wash over him. It's such an intense,  _powerful_  feeling, and Nick is sure he'll never meet anyone who loves as extremely and absolutely as Lucifer does.

It's a long kiss, but it still feels too short, and Nick misses Lucifer's lips the second that they're gone. The archangel gives him a loving look and runs his hand through the human's hair before speaking. "I have to leave you soon, but I give you my word that I  _will_  come back, and I'll make it so I'll never have to leave again; because Nick, you are  _more_  than enough to me. I'll be back before you know it, and I'll finish what I started."

And before Nick can say goodbye, Lucifer puts a hand to the side of his head and puts him to sleep, knowing that if he's awake, the pain his body is in will leave him screaming when Lucifer is no longer there to dampen it.

 

>>>

 

Lucifer pulled himself out of his mind-space just as a couple of his demons dragged Sam and Dean into the room behind him. He kept his eyes on his reflection in the glass, memorising Nick's features, because if he fails... he may never see him again. 

"Hey guys," He starts off distractedly. "So nice of you to drop in."

He breathes on the glass, watching as his reflection disappears, to be replaced by frost. "Sorry if it's a bit chilly," he continues, making small talk since the Winchesters seem to be content with their silence. He starts to draw a pitchfork on the glass, knowing Nick would laugh if he saw it. "Most people think I burn hot. It's actually quite the opposite."

"Well, I'll alert the media," Michael's vessel retorts sarcastically, and Lucifer is amused to find ill-concealed terror on his expression when he turns to face him.

He claps his hands together, moseying towards the two hunters. "Help me understand something guys," He's playing with them at this point, feigning ignorance as to why they're here. He knows why they're here. This is the part of the story where Sam says yes. "I mean, stomping through my front door is... a tad suicidal, don't you think?"

Until that point, Sam had been silently glaring at him, and Lucifer has been pointedly avoiding looking at him. The sheer amount of rage the younger Winchester feels toward him... stings. He only ever wanted to do right by Sam, and his attempts have been spurned each and every time.

"We're not here to fight you," Sam states aggressively, and Lucifer wonders why he even bothers trying to lie.

"No?" He continues to play along, however, wondering how far the hunters are going to take this charade before they realise he's patronising them. "Then why are you?"

Sam barely waits for him to finish his question before he cuts to the chase. "I wanna say Yes."

Oh, if only those words were sincere. Nothing would make Lucifer happier than for Sam to say Yes to him, honestly giving him the chance he's been patiently trying to earn from him. "Excuse me?" The Winchester did technically just give him permission, but Lucifer will wait until Sam's ready; give the kid a fair shot at being king of the hill.

Sam actually surprises him then; revealing his hand to Lucifer by smiting the two demons that brought them here. 

Lucifer is doubly glad he waited, because he had no idea Sam drank such a massive amount of demon blood. All that juice will really give Sam and edge on him. "Chock-full of Ovaltine, are we?"

"You heard me," his true vessel starts gruffly. " _Yes_."

"You're serious," Lucifer replies softly, patronisingly as he watches the human's adorable attempt to be intimidating.

Sam is obviously struggling with the fact that Lucifer hasn't jumped his bones yet, despite the fact that he's said yes twice now. "Look," the hunter starts, and Lucifer sees the moment when Dean understands that Lucifer knows their plan already, and silently gives the older hunter kudos for figuring it out first, "Judgement Day's a runaway train. We get it now. We just want off."

"Meaning?" Lucifer pushes him a bit further, amused to watch Sam make up his speech as he goes. Sam was smart not to pursue a career in acting.

Aain, the hunter looks frustrated, huffing softly to himself before he continues trying to bullshit the Devil. "Deal of the Century." He's not gonna give up, Lucifer realises suddenly. Obviously, Sam is going to need his situation spelled out for him. "I give you a free ride, but when it's all over, I live, he lives, you bring our parents back --"

"Okay, can we please drop the telenovela?" How unfortunate, Lucifer really had hoped Sam would be more perceptive than that.  _Dean_ caught on first, for Dad's sake. "I know you have the rings, Sam."

And still, Sam clings to his act. "I have no idea what you're talkng about." Oh boy.

"The Horsemen's rings?" He starts, rolling his eyes, "The magic keys to my Cage? … Ring a bell?" He walks right up to Sam, letting his disappointment show in his voice and expression before he brushes past. "Come on, Sam. I've never lied to you. You could at least pay me the same respect!"

His voice raised a bit in his quiet frustration, but he takes a second, centering himself again. "It's okay," he smiles at the elder of the two hunters, whose fear is showing as clear as day on his face now, "I'm not mad."

"A wrestling match inside your noggin..." He continues, when neither of them interrupt, "I like the idea. Just you and me, one round, no tricks. You win, you jump in the hole." He frowns for a moment at the idea; if that happens, they  _both_  lose. " _I_ win... well," He smiles, shrugging his shoulders jauntily, "then  _I win_. What do you say, Sam?" And because he can't help it, Nick got the damn song stuck in his head, he continues, "A fiddle of gold against your soul says I'm better than you-ou..."

The Winchesters traded looks, and briefly argued, before Sam turned back to him with renewed fire in his eyes. " _Yes_."

And Lucifer smiles, whispering a quiet farewell and a promise that he'll be back to Nick's sleeping consciousness before he closes his eyes and allows himself to leave the vessel, his true form shedding the purest white light into every corner of the room during the brief seconds it takes for him to take Sam over.

The mental struggle hardly lasts a few seconds, and again Lucifer is disappointed by how thoroughly Sam underestimates him. However, Dean has thus far exceeded his expectations as Michael's vessel, so he allows him to believe for a few moments that his brother beat out the Devil himself.

And then he takes the rings back (can't leave something like that just lying about) and goes, knowing that Nick will be safe here for a while, sleeping while Lucifer makes his final preparations for battle. He made sure he was stabilised as he left Nick, but his former vessel will need a more in-depth healing before Lucifer would be willing to wake him up. Those wounds are meant for an archangel, so they'll take a while to repair, especially for Lucifer, who is by no means a doctor of any kind.

 

>>>

 

His intention was to leave Nick in his Headquarters, to be guarded by his demons, but Lucifer found he couldn't stay away that long. Sharing a body with Sam was... much more difficult than it was with Nick. Sam  _hates_  him, and try as he might, Lucifer can't convince him he's anything but Evil Incarnate. It's very disheartening, but if Judgement Day goes as Lucifer hopes, Sam will see. He'll see who Lucifer really is, and then perhaps, he'll accept him.

He returns to the dark little office building, ignoring his demons as he beelines straight for Nick, relieved to see him just where he left him, breathing slowly in his deep sleep. He knees down by the man, and brushes against the peaceful, soothing consciousness while he touches one of the wounds and channels his grace into it, fighting the corruption there and working to purify it from Nick's system. It's a slow, gruelling process, but it makes him feel better, and he can feel Nick's presence and steady heartbeat, which does wonders for Lucifer's mental state.

Sam is watching quietly, for once seeming curious about Lucifer's activities, and not judgemental and hateful.  _"He's still alive?"_  He asks, and the shock is evidence in his tone and thoughts.

"No need to sound so surprised," Lucifer grumbles quietly, stuck talking out loud in another seemingly one-sided conversation since humans seem incapable of deciphering his thoughts beyond basic emotions. "I made him a promise, and like I've told you numerous times, I keep my word." His tone is perhaps a touch bitter, as he kneads his grace further into the wound, trying to find the rotten centre of the infection that he needs to purify in order for it to heal.

Sam is silent for a bit, but he doesn't seem chastised or ashamed in the slightest for not believing Lucifer before.  _"What did you promise him? Let me guess, you told him you'll keep his family safe from the end of the world too?"_

Lucifer rolls his eyes patiently, releasing a soft sigh. "That would be a bit difficult, seeing as his family died long before I ever met him. Sam, so quick to judge. Nick's wife and infant daughter were murdered in the nursery of his home while he slept. Robbery gone wrong, loose monster... it doesn't matter. It broke his heart, his spirit. He lost everything that mattered to him, Sam. All he wanted was peace, for a world where that won't happen ever again while an uncaring God watches on. That's what I want, too, Sam. I promised him peace, and that's what I'll give him. I owe him at least that much. He's been kind to me."

Again, the other soul remains silent for a good stretch of time, just watching while Lucifer works. Just when Lucifer thinks Sam has decided to give him the silent treatment for whatever reason, he speaks up again. " _So why is he still sleeping? It's been over a day."_

"Do you see these burns?" Lucifer questions, gesturing to the one he's working on. When he gets an affirmation, he continues, lending Sam the benefit of his true sight. "They formed from old wounds of mine that I don't have the ability to heal. Think of it like... I let a wound get infected, very badly infected. His body and bloodline isn't as strong as yours is. He couldn't resist the infection, like you and I can. So now he has similar wounds to mine. He isn't an angel or a demon, so the poisonous magic won't kill him outright... but if I were to wake him up, the pain they cause might kill him. So I've put him to sleep for now so that he won't feel a thing, and he's being cared for until I defeat Michael and come back to properly heal him."

He senses a passing, derisive thought from the human about how confident he seems to be about defeating Michael, but doesn't comment on it, and Sam doesn't dwell on it.  _"You're putting a lot of effort into healing_ _him,_ _wouldn't death be just as peaceful for him, if the wounds are so bad?"_

At that question, Lucifer feels his anger finally flare up, and he stands swiftly, heading to the window so Sam can see his righteous glare. "How  _dare_  you suggest that." He has a battle of wills with his vessel for a moment, both glaring at each other intensely through the reflection in the glass. Lucifer wins, when Sam looks away a little shamefully, and Lucifer subsequently releases an annoyed huff, trying to let go of his flash of anger. "He made me a promise too," Lucifer admits quietly after a moment, and turns to look at the sleeping body of his friend. "He promised he wouldn't leave me, I'm just keeping him honest."

He turns back to the window pane, feeling the eyes of Sam's reflection on him curiously. "Like I said, he was kind to me," he offers as the only explanation he's willing to give. "I don't intend to possess you forever, Sam. You have a family to get back to when this mess is over. Nick and I... won't. He just has me, and I'll just have him, if it does come to a fight to the death. You wouldn't understand. Your brother will always care about you, no matter what you've done." Lucifer doesn't look at Sam's reflection as he says that, not allowing his jealousy to show. Dean's a good guy. Sam is lucier than he knows. "Nick and I have lost... everyone. So when this is over, I'll find a way to make him strong enough that I won't need to worry about burning him out, and I'll give you your body back, no strings attached. He and I will have each other, we'll have our peace, and that will have to be enough."

 _"You said_ ** _if_** _it does come to a fight to the death?"_  Sam asks, but not mockingly this time. Well, it's some kind of progress.

"Yes," the Devil answers tiredly, "I don't actually  _want_ to kill my brother, but thanks for the vote of confidence. If talking doesn't work, then I'd rather disarm or disable him than kill him. I just... I want to make him see sense. There's no point to this big prize fight. But knowing Michael, if I don't go out and face him down, he'll march on Hell with an army of angels, and a war would be  _so much worse_  than one little fistfight. And for the record, tossing yourself in the Cage with me only would've delayed him. He'd pull me back out just so he can kill me, and trust me, you  _don't_  want Michael to win this fight. Michael does one thing; war. And if he doesn't have someone to fight, he'll make one. When he moves on to the demons, and the monsters... who do you think is going to be caught in the crossfire?"

There's a hesitation before Sam answers miserably, " _Humans_."

"Yahtzee," Lucifer affirms. "If there's anyone you should be locking up, it's  _his_ crazy ass. Let him stew in the time-out corner for a couple thousand years, make him cool his head. I already did my time. I'm just happy I can stretch my old, aching wings again."

There was a slight huff of amusement and disbelief from Sam, and the hunter said nothing more to him. Lucifer went back to healing Nick in peace, killing time until Judgement Day arrived.

 

>>>

 

Judgement Day didn't go as planned.

Now Lucifer shared his Cage with a maddened brother and the souls of two screaming humans who can't possibly hope to withstand the pressure the Cage puts them under to keep an archangel from working up to an escape.

He has three cellmates, and Lucifer has never felt more alone.

 

>>>

 

When he talks to Sam again for the first time in decades, Lucifer still takes Nick's form, At this point, it's purely out of habit. He could look like anyone he wants to...

And Lucifer wants Nick.

 

>>>

 

Nick was nowhere to be found when Lucifer got back out, and he's not sure why he thought he'd still be around somewhere. It was a childish hope, still clinging to his promise to come back to Nick.

How did things go so horribly wrong?

He didn't keep his word, and now Nick is lost, probably dead now from his wounds. Knowing him, he probably believed Lucifer would pull through and find him again right up to his last moment. Lucifer just hopes that, by some miracle, someone told Nick what happened so he knows Lucifer didn't just abandon him.

In the Cage, he had nightmares sometimes, waking up in a cold sweat with the belief that Nick's soul had gone to Hell, or become a restless spirit, and beyond Lucifer failing to return to him, he never found peace, either.

He needs to find out what happened to Nick, but he doesn't even know where to begin asking.

 

>>>

 

When Lucifer woke up from the banishment the Geek Squad (British division) and the Mystery gang had performed on him, for a second, he thought he was dreaming.

He didn't even notice that Crowley was watching, waiting for him to wake up, because he was too busy trying to figure out where he was. And more specifically, in  _whose_  body. And as he looked at his arms, legs, and attire... he recalled a body he thought he'd never see again. It seemed too good to be true, and he immediately snapped awake, calling through his mind for the soul he hoped to find within.

But as the fogginess cleared away, all he heard were the echoes of his own thoughts in an otherwise empty vessel. He could feel ghosts of memories left imprinted in the brain he knows so well now, which not even years of stagnation and numerous enchantments could erase. There's no doubt he's back in Nick's skin, at long last. But his mind is quiet; he's returned, but Nick has left.

And when Crowley is gone, Lucifer screams, for he is utterly alone in a body that belonged to his friend. 

Lucifer screams, crying out for a man that he owes the world and then some, who had everything taken from him and didn't deserve it.

Lucifer screams, because this prison of a body is  _too empty_  without its original occupant.

 

>>>

 

Eventually, Lucifer gets free, and can now do anything he pleases with his life.

Well, anything but leave this vessel. He can, at the very least, look for his son. But he can't stay in these clothes. These are Nick's clothes.

Crowley couldn't have found a better way to torture Lucifer than locking him within  _this_  vessel, of all the vessels he could have chosen. He knows why; Nick proved to be capable of holding him before. And if his body was still mostly intact, it would be the easiest one to force Lucifer back into. But the skin in itself was a torture all its own. Every time he passed by his reflection, he wished that he could see Nick smiling back at him, and felt his heart sink a little deeper every time it was just his own miserable expression looking back.

Lucifer considers this as he goes through a clothing store, picking out something he likes to morph his clothing into. He comes across a mannequin wearing a brown, soft leather jacket, plain white shirt, and sturdy jeans.

"Yeah, I could go for the rocker look again," he comments out loud, half-expecting Nick to give him some drawling criticism on his dated sense of style.

But the second voice never comes, because now he's the only one left in this body. He sighs regretfully, waving his hand and turning the old green flannel and worn jeans into clothes exactly matching the ones on the mannequin.

No one sees him, as he's here well after hours. It looked good on the mannequin, but as Lucifer has found out recently, mannequins aren't always good representations, so he goes over to a mirror to see how he looks (gotta look his best for the kiddo).

If Nick were still with him, he'd probably tease Lucifer about how the clothes look too young on his old man face, or something. Lucifer just turns around to see the whole outfit, wishing his reflection would do  _something,_  anything other than mimic him. It hurts to look at Nick's face and only see his own eyes looking mournfully back at him.

He tries for a smile, but he can't quite make it seem as effortless and genuine as the kind Nick could pull from him. When he's had his fill, he turns away, and just barely catches the glint of Nick's wedding ring still on his finger.

He pauses, reaching for the ring like he's about to pull it off, and then stops.

It's a painful reminder of the man he failed... but it belonged to Nick. It was his most treasured possession, the one thing the man kept wearing every single day after his wife and child were killed. Lucifer had kept it on at Nick's request, and now he lets his hand drop back down to his side, deciding to let it stay. 

If he can't leave Nick's skin, the least he can do is honour him in his death.

 

>>>

 

It wasn't until after Lucifer was captured and trapped in hell for the second time that he finally came across Nick.

He'd gone to Hell.

Of course he had—he said yes to the Devil. Heaven would never accept him. Just another way Lucifer had failed him. 

Lucifer was moping in the cell next to Castiel's, trying with all his might to move the little stick he had, trying to rebuild his powers by exercising those metaphysical muscles. One step at a time.

A demon walked over to his cell, stopping and leaning against the wall opposite Lucifer; just standing silently and watching him. Lucifer noticed, if only because this Demon wasn't the one that usually patrolled the hall.

Upon a closer look, Lucifer recognised the broken and twisted soul shoved into a young woman's body. He stopped what he was doing and let out a distressed, strangled sound, drawing Castiel's attention to him from the other cell. "Nick?" Lucifer asked in a whisper, and the demon glared at him.

There wasn't an answer for a long time, and then the demon sighed irritably, crossing her arms. "Nikolai, now. I see you're still wearing my duds. I guess that's all you wanted, anyways."

Lucifer stood, walking up close to the bars. "Nick... you know that isn't true. I looked for you when I got free again. I didn't even know where to start." His tone is sad, tragically so, looking at how Hell has twisted his closest and only friend. "But I looked and couldn't find you anywhere. I know I failed you..."

"You said you'd only tell me the truth," the demon interrupts harshly, walking up to the bars until she's just a few inches from the miserable archangel. "But everything you ever promised me was a lie."

Lucifer's eyes drop to the ground, not arguing that. "My care for you wasn't a lie. I've thought about you every day, Nick." He catches sight of the ring on his finger, and slips it off now, ignoring the way the magical barrier stings him as he holds the wedding ring out to Nikolai, watching her expression briefly turns from disgust to shock. "This belongs to you. I held onto it, but you should have it back."

There's an unreadable expression in the demon's eyes before she lets them fill with black and releases a scoff at him. "Keep it." She turns to go, but she appears to be retreating now, looking like she regrets ever coming here in the first place.

Before she walks out the door, she gives Lucifer one final look, wishing the crushed expression on his face was more satisfying than it was. "I trusted you. And now, I'll watch you suffer." And when she shuts the door behind her, the metallic clang echoes in Lucifer's too-empty skull with brutal finality.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos are Love, comments are Life!!
> 
> (I feel like George RR Martin, literally writing everything except my biggest story right now. Anyways if you have a prompt for something you're always welcome to shoot it my way!)
> 
> [HEY CLICK HERE TO HANG OUT IN THE ARCHANGEL DISCORD WITH US](https://discord.gg/pWzk57N)


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